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Wednesday, October 24, 2012

I admit that these fabrics are a little outside of my comfort zone, outside of my "norm" (the purples especially) but I have enjoyed this bundle from afar for the last few weeks, and decided the time was right to whip up a whole bunch of Half Square Triangles.

I am often asked how I manage to make my half square triangle blocks looks so perfect. The reason is simple but time consuming ....

... I over-size my blocks and trim endlessly. It is really boring, and requires multiple cups of coffee and lots of distractions. You try not to count, nor look at the huge pile of un-trimmed HST, but e v e n t u a l l y you do get there.

3 inch x 3 inch HSTs

And then you are ready to work on a layout/design.

I have taken a very traditional star block and up-scaled the size, much likeJeni's Giant Vintage Star Quilt and Tutorial. I re-jigged block size and the layout by alternating white fabric in the center of the block, and I have also pieced the large triangles using HST's. Not difficult, not original, but traditional and definitely effective.

Chicopee Giant Vintage Star

Quilt top measures 40.5 inches x 40.5 inches

And yes, I made far too many HSTs. I think I have enough leftover HSTs to make another quilt!

That is SO funny about not looking at the untrimmed hst pile. I was trimming hst's this past weekend and was so excited because the pile was nearly gone... until I stood up and saw the other pile hiding behind my sewing machine :( lol!

Hi Rita, a few weeks ago I got some of Denyse Schmidt's Chicopee fabric in my Quilters Take Manhattan goody bag and I haven't used it yet - I think you've just totally inspired me. Your quilt top is gorgeous :)

Hi Rita,I don't know if your interested, but I just did a tutorial on my blog on how to make half square triangles without trimming back. You can use a special ruler, but you don't need too, you can just use a normal quilting ruler :) http://www.sewlittlefabric.blogspot.com.au/

I want to thank you for your tips. This star is amazing and I think its fantastic too. It seems different from your last few quilts. I admire you very, very, much. I have started buying stripped fabric for my borders. You are my quilting hero.

OH MY GOSH RITA!! Fantastic! I was inching my way down the page and then this beautiful colorscape came into view and my eyes popped out of my head. SERIOUSLY!! I have really loved the D.S. fabrics but this quilt really displays them so nicely. swooooonnn!!

I *LOVE* this! I do the same thing with hst...they are so hard to get right if you don't make them big and then cut them down. This is a great idea for a quilt. Any chance you could post a pdf so we can download it to save? :)

Super. Share with us; what do you do with your scraps/trimmings? I put all mine into a small pillowcase and when it's completely stuffed full, sew up the end and send it to the local animal shelter. They make great cat or small dog beds.The clinic staff say the animals love them and the bonus for them is that the pillows have human smell.Happy Sewing!

So stunning! I love this quilt and I've pinned it to my "Quilty Goodness" board on Pinterest (with proper credit, of course!). Feel free to follow me if you'd like: http://pinterest.com/lipglass/quilty-goodness/

I was looking for a quick quilt to make for a friend who is undergoing a major cancer surgery when I happened upon this. I made each HST larger and added a border, and it turned out lovely. Thank you for the idea...many years later. :-)